Google’s new Nexus 7 tablet is about to hit the shelves, and indeed has already landed in the laps of some lucky pre-order customers, but just how tough is it?
Gadgets these days are made to be stylish and lightweight, and unfortunately they’re not built for the clumsy customer. Early reviews have praised the Nexus 7 for an impressive build quality despite its low price tag, but how well would it fare when given a date with the pavement?
As always, SquareTrade are on hand to answer our prayers with a drop test video. The third-party gadget warranty company decided it would be a fair match to pit the iPad 3 and the Nexus 7 together against the concrete to see which is tougher.
The iPad’s large glass screen and wafer thin frame mean that there’s little likelihood that you won’t incur damage to the screen if you drop it. The Nexus 7 is slightly thicker with a rubberised back, which probably won’t look so bad if it took on a scratch or two – the iPad’s metal back would be scarred however.
The Nexus 7 turns out to be a tough cookie, with no damage to the 7-inch IPS display when dropped from different heights. Looking at the iPad it doesn’t fare so well, with a smashed and cracked screen. Surprisingly it also seems to work fine after being dropped in the bath, although we can’t recommend trying this to see if yours fares the same.
Check out the video below if you’re a fan of gadget brutality. If smashed gadgets make you squeamish, look away now.
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